Electrical igniting apparatus.



PATENTED AUG. 4, 1903.

W. H. COTTGN,

v ELECTRICAL IGNITING APPARA'IU*Sl APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28, M02` No IODEL.

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o No. 735,313. f

f f "UNIT-nn STATES atented August 4, PATENT: OFFICE. ,o

g WALTER lI- Lloo'rrortfor CHICAGO,1LLiNors,.AssiGNon To ALBERT KUN/ZE,

OF CHIGAGQJILLINOIQS.

,ELECTRICA-alcN-mo APPARATUS.

srnoxrrcarioiv foaming-psa f Leners Patent No. 785,213, dated August 4, 1903.

l Appunti@ and ramryzs, 41902. sain No. 96,103. on man.)

, To wllwhom it may concern:

- Beit known that-I, WALTER-H. COTTON, a citizenj of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, countyof` Cook, and State of Illinois, 5 have invented certain new and useful Im-` provements inElectrical lgniting Apparatus, f of which thefollowin'gis a specification and which are illustrated in the accompanying o, drawings, forming a part thereof'.

` This 4invention relates to 'an electricalignting'apparatus which is particularly adapted for use `in connection with explosion -en- In the employment of the ordinary electric igniter difficulty is encountered 4by reason of the depositing o f carbon, oil, or other foreign matter on the 4electrodes, ,that tends to inter- `fere withthe Voperation of the sparking de,- \vice. This accumulation.oil foreign matter necessitates cleaning ofthe electrodes at fre-l quent intervals 'to keep the points clean and effective', andwhetherthe electrodes be removed for cleanin gbr the end attained insome other manner the stopping of the engine is in any event necessary. One of the vobjects offmy invention is to t overcome this diculty and to provide a de- 'vice the parts of which shall besoarranged that the accumulating of carbon on the electrodes will be prevented and whereby .they may always be kept clean and effective. Proo vision isalso made for eectually dislodging the spent gases or products of combustion from the neighborhood of the electrodes, so

35 that the explosive mixture o'f each compressed charge will be permitted a free circulation around the electrodes and a uniform and regular -ignition insured.`

o The invention further contemplates an ar- 4o `rangement of two sets of sparking devices de-` o signed to be thrown alternately into service, so that in caserof an accident to one pair of the electrodes or any of its parte the igniting n device thereof may be thrown out of service 45 `andthe otheL employed. f

\ VThe invention comprises a pair vof spat-kie chambers in each ofwhich is located an igniting device, -a connection between the sparkingaohambers and thecylinder of an explosion engine, av trein the connection for 4from the cylinder in alternation, and an auxiliary gas-chamber for' and communicating with-each of the sparking chambers.

The invention consists of the arrangement and combination of parts as hereinafter. fully described, particularly designated in the appended claims, and as illustrated `in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 isla sectional View substantially on the line X X of Fig. 4, some of `the parts f being sh'wn in full lines and villustrating the two sparking. plugs in position. i Fig. 2 is a section on=the line Y of Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a section on the line Z Z of Fig. 1, the sparking Yelectrodes being removed. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the apparatus complete, `and Fig. 5 `illustrates the apparatus as it appears in position on the cylinder of an explosion-engine.-

Preferably I employ," as shown,ltwo igniters, .the sparking electrodes of each" being located in cups 10 11, forming the sparking chambers therefor, which chambers are con nected' by a tube 12, communicating through i a nipple 13 with the explosion-chamber of the engine, into the wall of which thel nipple is designed to be screwed, as shown inFig.` 5, where 14 designates an explosion-engine cylo inderl and 15 the piston thereof. Located at the junction of the nippleVA 13 with the tube 12 vis a valve 16, which is designed to open com munication of the explosion-chamber `with the sparking chambers 10 and 11 in alterna tion. The precise arrangement of the partsi lthat is to say, the sparking chambers 1011, 85 tube 12, nipple 13, and valve 16-is not material, and any construction whereby the ends sought may be attained will come within the 'scope of the invention. In the arrangement illustrated the chambers 10 and 11 are4 located 9o at opposite ends of the tube 12, and the oscillating valve 16 is a three-way valve throughV the medium of which, as will -be yseen on ref# erence' to Fig. 3, the duct of the nipple 1,3, g leading lfrom the explosion-chamber of'the95 engine, may be thrown at will into communi# o cation with either end of the passage in the tube ,12, connecting the chambers `10 and 1'1.

'Any suitablesparking devices may be employed, whether the electrodes thereof are both fixed or both movable or one fixed and tion with thechambers cylinder.

limited to any particular type. Those shown trode 1.9,and a stem 20, suitably secured within and insulated from the' plug 18 and having fixed thereto the other electrode, 21, the chambers l1 being internally threaded to receive the plugs 18.

In Fig. 1 I have shown diagrammatically an electrical' circuit and which comprises the battery of'a transformer 23, one terminal of the seceondary coil thereof being designed to vbe secured by the thumb-nut 24 of either of the stems and the other grounded in the engine through the medium of a circuit-breaker 25, which is so timed in its action as to induce a spark at the electrode with which thel opposite terminal is in circuit just at the proper moment ,of compression Any other .arrangement of circuit andv circuit-breaker may, vof course, be employed. i

Extending from and opening into each of the sparking chambers 10 11 and having its outer end closed is a tube 26 of any desired The object of this tube is to provide a' chamber for the burned gases'left inthe sparking chamber and passage from the 'preceding explosion and which are forced into the tube of the chamber in communication-with the engine-cylinder and thereby insuring the, firing away-,from vvthe sparking charge' of explosive mixture which is vbeing compressed, so that the explosive mixture mayfreely circulate around-the electrodes, t of the same when the spark leaps across fron. one point to the other. The sparking that thay are in line with the passage in the tube 12.

It1will be observed that the passage in the tube 12y is small. relatively to the chambers and 11. The purpose of this minute passage is to cause the exhausting burned gases and the portion of the new charge following the same to issue in the form of a small strong blast againstv the electrode-points, whereby .c the friction'ofthe blasts against the electrodes engine, it being will effectually clean them of any carbon or other foreign matter that may have adhered thereto'and always maintain them in a bright condition. n I

By the employment of the two independent sparking' devices itis possible to keep the engine lrunning continuously under all circumstances, as only'one isin service at a' time. Should anythinghappen to that one, necessary to turn the valve 16 so as to put the other chamber in communication with the cylinder and transfer the terminal of thev circuit frolnthelsparking device with which it is in connection Itothe other. a

rlhefdevice may bey readily adapted to any only necessaryto provide a passage i'n the wallrof the cylthe nipple llmaybe screwed.

small threaded inder, into whlc 22; in circuit with the primary vcoilof the charge in the points by the new pointsare so disposed it is onlyl In the operation. of the device the-gas is forced, when the 'piston is making Aits compressing stroke, through the nipple 13 and into the sparking chamber in communication with the .engine-cylinder, the burned gases in the passages being driven into the end of the tube thereof and away from the said sparking chamber.. At the proper moment the electrical circuit is closed and the compressed charge exploded -by the spark generated in the sparking chamber-and the expansion-cycle then takes place. On the return or exhaust stroke of the engine-piston the burned gases will exhaust fromA the device. to the same pressure as the cylinder of the engine, leaving a certain 'quantity of ineombustible gas in the passages of theigniter,and this will be forced back into the tube of the ignitingchamberin service on the next compressioncycle in' the manner heretofore explained, permitting a free circulation of the compressed charge about the sparking electrodes'. The friction of the gases rushing in and out of the device preventsL accumulation on theelectrodes and keeps the electrodes bright and operatively effective]l l 1. In an igniting apparatus for explosiveneWly-' engines, in combination, an explosion-chamber, apair of sparking chambers, electrodes in each chamber, a tube connecting the sparking chambers, a nipple providing communication between the tube and the explosionchamber, a valve for opening communication between the explosion and the sparking'chambers in alternation, and means for creating a spark at the electrodes in the chamber in communication with the explosion-chamber. 2. In an igniting apparatus for explosiveengines, in combination, an explosion-chamber, a pair of sparking chambers,electrodes in each chamber, a tube'between the chambers l and thepassage of which is in line with the electrodes, a nipple extending from the tube and adapted to be fixed in the wall of the explosion-chamber, `a three-way valve at the juncture of the tube and the nipple designed to connect the passage of the nipple with the passage at either end ofthe tube, a tube extending from each sparking chamber, and means for creating a spark at the-electrodes in the chamber in communication with the-explosion-chamber. i

3. As an article of manufacture, a pair of sparking chambers, electrodes in-each chamber,a tube connecting the sparking chambers,

a nipple extending from the tube and for securing the same in the-wall of an explosiveengine cylinder, anda valve located in the tube and for throwing the sparking chambers into communication with the nipple in alternation. l

4. As an article of manufacture, a pair of cups, a plug removably secured in each cup and provided with sparking electrodes, a tube connecting the cups and having a contracted passageV in line with the electrodes of each IIOO III) 5; l gnes, in combination,- an ex'plosionchamber,

,l a:pairotsparknggchambers?a pair ofelec- A Atrodes 'ineach chamber, -means forproducing if gine inc plug', Afanipple extending from the tube Yfor `securing the device in the wall of an eXplosive-engine cylnder,an elongated tube opening into each cup and closed at its outer end, and a valve in' the connecting-tube for throwt L ing thes'parking chambers into communica-,-

u tionwith the 'explosion chamber in alterna tion.

In an igniting devicefor explosive fena sparkat each -pair of electrodes, a tube connecting thesfparkipg'chambers and having a contracted passage in lili@ Withthe said pairs of electrodes v vhereby4 ai blastis 'projected vag@filigran1ser@modes,conneestnesta-eenu1@ d thxplosion-chamber, 'and a valve befor throwngthe sparkingchamenemiga:

igniting v device forV explosive enombination; an explosion-chamber,

a pair'of cups, a plug removably secured in each cup and provided with sparking electrodes, an electric circuit adapted to be connected up with the electrodes of either of said plugs, a tube connecting the cups,` connection lbetween the tube and the explosion-chamber,

an elongated tube opening intoeach cup and closed at its outer end, and a valve inthe tubel sage in line with the electrodes land adapted to be attached in the Wall of an explosive-engine cylinder, and an auxiliary chamber open- -ing into the cup and closed at its outer end.

WALTER H. COTTON.

Witnesses:

' ARTHUR B. SEpIBoLD, LoUIs K. GILLsoN. 

